Jewish pediatrician Darren Klugman has been suspended from Johns Hopkins after ‘deeply disturbing’ reports in which he labeled all Palestinians as ‘bloodthirsty, morally depraved animals’

A Jewish pediatrician has been suspended from the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital for insulting tweets in which he labeled Palestinians as “bloodthirsty, morally depraved animals.”

Darren Klugman has been placed on leave from the Maryland facility following outrage over his posts.

The doctor is now under investigation by his employers after the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint against him.

Posts from Klugman’s

He also responded to a post suggesting that Israel’s bombardment of Gaza was a “large-scale massacre” that could drive Palestinians away with the word “God wills it.”

Klugman works at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The facility said it is conducting a “thorough investigation” following the outcry

In a statement, Johns Hopkins said: “We at Johns Hopkins share the concerns of many about the deeply disturbing social media posts from a School of Medicine faculty member regarding the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

“The faculty member who made these statements has been placed on leave and will therefore not interact with any students or patients while we conduct a thorough investigation according to our policies and procedures.

“Johns Hopkins Medicine and Johns Hopkins University are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for work, learning and patient care for every member of our community and everyone we serve.

“Statements that explicitly threaten or glorify violence against groups or individuals based on national origin, race or religion violate our policies and do not represent our values.”

Colleagues of the associate professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, who did not want to be identified, told the Baltimore banner his comments created “a culture of fear among physicians, staff and patients.”

They also questioned his ability to care for Muslim and Palestinian patients.

Zainab Chaudry, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said: “These disgusting comments allegedly made by Dr. Klugman are deeply disturbing and must be addressed quickly and transparently.

“A physician who holds the view that any ethnic group is less than human and expresses support for its eradication cannot be trusted to diligently fulfill his ethical and moral obligation to best serve the medical needs of his patient population.” to serve.’

Zainab Chaudry, director of The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which filed a complaint, called the comments “abhorrent”

After the controversy, Klugman emailed his hospital colleagues with an apology for the “regrettable, hurtful messages” WMAR2 News reports.

“I cannot undo the damage these messages have caused and I am devastated by the impact it has had on my Hopkins family and others,” he said.

His comments came in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and triggered a devastating wave of airstrikes on Gaza in response.

Since then, there have been several high-profile cases of individuals being fired for posting anti-Semitic comments online, amid criticism of the reprisals, which are estimated to have killed at least 11,000 Gazans.

Among them was Sarah Chowdhury, a government worker in Illinois who shared anti-Semitic messages online in the aftermath of the conflict. She then apologized.